16th April
Hello!
Hope you had a good week. For my subscribers from India, this week was full of festivals. My best wishes to those of you who were celebrating this week.
My week was hectic but also filled with good news. I have become part of a team of authors writing a book on Sustainable Development Goals 3,4 and 5. Also, I got myself a domain name. My website address is no longer a long string of mixed characters! It is www.anjalirajw.com
I have a range of projects and teaching commitments going on now... Occasionally, I tell myself that I need to stop and reconsider before taking up more projects, but, these are opportunities not to be missed. But yes, I will stop as I now have enough teaching, research, books and publications now to take up all of 2021 and probably the first half of 2022.
Early this week I took a test on a website called gapminder. It is part of a Social Responsibility certification I am currently doing. I did the test the first time and I was pretty confident that I might get a good majority of them right. I was so wrong! I scored just shy of 50%. I felt better when I realised that I wasn't the only one. On average, adults across the world score between 10% and 20% on it. I urge you to take the test. It will blow your mind away!
Take the test here.
After I did the test, as part of my course, I started reading the book below. More about it later.
Quote for the week: “All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” Leonardo da Vinci
Book I'm currently reading: Factfulness by Hans Rosling.
I got to know about this book through my colleagues at Sherpa Institute. I have just started it yesterday and it's already caught me. The book keeps you wondering what else you are wrong about! It has a beautiful energy and humour to it just like the personality of the author. I would recommend that you pick up a copy for yourself in book, e-book or audio book format.
The video I have shared below is of Hans Rosling talking about what they do at gapminder.
Video recommendation: The best stats you have ever seen by Hans Rosling. Click here to watch the video.
Energetic, funny and thought-provoking. This talk from 2006 is something that will open your mind to the fact that the world is not as bad as we think and enlighten you the role preconceived notions play in our perception of the world around us.
Healthcare News in the UK: Almost 41 million vaccinations have been given in the UK and they are on target to vaccinate everyone by the end of July. I am proud to say that many of my students are vaccination volunteers and have been working so hard to support this drive along with thousands of GP's, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other volunteers.
If you live in the UK, and are asymptomatic, you can now order free lateral flow test kits. We got one this week and it was very easy to use. We wanted to ensure that we were not carriers as we are travelling this weekend. Please test yourself and your family regularly to help contain the virus.
After 8 months of various levels of lockdown, we are finally taking a weekend break to go meet family and enjoy the welsh hillside. I am looking forward to this much needed vacation!
That's all for today. Hope you have an energising and restful weekend! See you next Friday!
Anjali